low
1 Americanadjective
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lower,
comparative
-
lowest
superlative
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situated, placed, or occurring not far above the ground, floor, or base.
a low shelf.
- Antonyms:
- high
-
of small extent upward; not high or tall.
A low wall surrounds the property.
- Antonyms:
- high
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not far above the horizon, as a planet.
The moon was low in the sky.
- Antonyms:
- high
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lying or being below the general level.
low ground.
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designating or pertaining to regions near sea level, especially near the sea.
low countries.
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bending or passing far downward; deep.
a low bow.
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(of a garment) low-necked; décolleté.
The dress she wore was fashionably low.
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rising but slightly from a surface.
a low relief on a frieze.
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of less than average or normal height or depth, as a liquid or stream.
The river is low this time of year.
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near the first of a series.
a low number.
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ranked near the beginning or bottom on some scale of measurement.
a low income bracket.
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indicating the bottom or the point farthest down.
the low point in his creative life.
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lacking in strength, energy, or vigor; feeble; weak.
to feel low and listless.
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providing little nourishment or strength, as a diet.
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of small number, amount, degree, force, intensity, etc..
low visibility;
a generator with a low output.
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indicated or represented by a low number.
A low latitude is one relatively near the equator.
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soft: subdued; not loud.
a low murmur.
- Synonyms:
- quiet
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Music. produced by relatively slow vibrations, as sounds; grave in pitch.
- Synonyms:
- deep
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assigning or attributing little worth, value, excellence, or the like.
a low estimate of a new book.
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containing a relatively small amount.
a diet low in starches.
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nearing depletion; not adequately supplied.
low on funds;
Our stock of towels is low.
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depressed or dejected.
low spirits.
- Synonyms:
- sad, unhappy, dispirited
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far down in the scale of rank or estimation; humble.
of low birth.
- Synonyms:
- obscure, insignificant, lowly
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of inferior quality or character.
a low grade of fabric;
a low type of intellect.
-
lacking in dignity or elevation, as of thought or expression.
-
mean, base, or disreputable.
low tricks;
low companions.
-
coarse or vulgar.
entertainment of a low sort.
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Boxing. struck or delivered below a contestant's belt.
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Biology. having a relatively simple structure; not complex in organization.
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Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with a relatively large opening above the tongue, as the vowels of hat, hut, hot, ought, etc.
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Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft moves at the lowest speed with relation to the speed of the engine crankshaft, used especially for temporarily overcoming the weight or inertia of the vehicle; first.
low gear.
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Baseball. (of a pitched ball) passing the plate at a level below that of the batter's knees.
a low curve.
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Cards. having less value than other cards.
a low card.
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Metallurgy. having a relatively small amount of a specified constituent (usually used in combination).
low-carbon steel.
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Chiefly British. holding to Low Church principles and practices.
adverb
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in or to a low position, point, degree, etc..
The raiders crouched low in the bushes.
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near the ground, floor, or base; not aloft.
The plane flew low.
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in or to a humble or abject state.
Some live low while others live high.
She swore she would bring him low.
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in or to a condition of depletion, prostration, or death.
The gas in the tank is running low.
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at comparatively small cost; cheaply.
to buy something low and sell it high.
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at or to a low pitch, volume, intensity, etc..
to turn the radio low;
ights turned down low.
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in a low tone; softly: quietly.
to speak low.
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Archaic. far down in time; late.
noun
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something that is low, as ground or prices.
numerous marshy lows in the forest;
the recent low in the stock market.
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Automotive. low gear; first gear.
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Meteorology. an atmospheric low-pressure system; cyclone.
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Cards.
-
the lowest trump card.
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a card of small value, or of lower value than other cards.
-
the lowest score in a game.
-
a player having such a score.
-
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a point of deepest decline, vulgarity, etc..
a new low in tastelessness.
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Slang. a period of intense depression or discomfort, when the effects of a drug have subsided.
idioms
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lie low,
-
to conceal oneself.
He had to lie low for a while.
-
to do nothing until the right opportunity develops; bide one's time.
Until the dispute is settled, you would do best to lie low.
-
-
lay low,
-
to overpower or kill; defeat.
to lay one's attackers low.
-
to knock down; make prostrate.
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Informal. to lie low.
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verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb (used without object)
-
to burn; blaze.
-
(of a person) to feel strong emotions; glow with excitement.
noun
-
David, 1891–1963, English political cartoonist, born in New Zealand.
-
Juliette, 1860–1927, founder of Girl Scouts in the U.S.
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Seth, 1850–1916, U.S. political reformer, educator, and politician.
adjective
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having a relatively small distance from base to top; not tall or high
a low hill
a low building
-
-
situated at a relatively short distance above the ground, sea level, the horizon, or other reference position
low cloud
-
( in combination )
low-lying
-
-
-
involving or containing a relatively small amount of something
a low supply
-
( in combination )
low-pressure
-
-
-
having little value or quality
-
( in combination )
low-grade
-
-
of less than the usual or expected height, depth, or degree
low temperature
-
-
(of numbers) small
-
(of measurements) expressed in small numbers
-
-
unfavourable
a low opinion
-
not advanced in evolution
a low form of plant life
-
deep
a low obeisance
-
coarse or vulgar
a low conversation
-
-
inferior in culture or status
-
( in combination )
low-class
-
-
in a physically or mentally depressed or weakened state
-
designed so as to reveal the wearer's neck and part of the bosom
a low neckline
-
with a hushed tone; quiet or soft
a low whisper
-
of relatively small price or monetary value
low cost
-
music relating to or characterized by a relatively low pitch
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(of latitudes) situated not far north or south of the equator
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having little or no money
-
abject or servile
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phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a vowel whose articulation is produced by moving the back of the tongue away from the soft palate or the blade away from the hard palate, such as for the a in English father Compare high
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(of a gear) providing a relatively low forward speed for a given engine speed
-
(usually capital) of or relating to the Low Church
adverb
-
in a low position, level, degree, intensity, etc
to bring someone low
-
at a low pitch; deep
to sing low
-
at a low price; cheaply
to buy low
-
-
to cause to fall by a blow
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to overcome, defeat or destroy
-
-
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to keep or be concealed or quiet
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to wait for a favourable opportunity
-
noun
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a low position, level, or degree
an all-time low
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an area of relatively low atmospheric pressure, esp a depression
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electronics the voltage level in a logic circuit corresponding to logical zero Compare high
noun
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See mean 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of low1
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English lou(e), loh(e) (adjective and noun), earlier lāh, from Old Norse lāgr (adjective) “low, low down”; cognate with Old Frisian lēge, lēch, Dutch laag, Old High German laege; akin to lie 2
Origin of low2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English lowen, Old English hlōwan; cognate with Dutch loeien, Old High German hluoen, Old Saxon hlōian; akin to Old Norse Hlōi a proper name (literally, “bellower, shouter”), Latin clāmāre “to call out”
Origin of low3
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse loga “to flame,” log “a flame,” akin to German lohen (verb), Lohe (noun), Latin lūcēre (verb), lūx (noun) “light”; see also light 1
Explanation
When you travel through a low tunnel, you might be tempted to duck your head. Something that's low is short or shallow. Things that are less than usual can be described with the adjective low. You might be low on gas in your car, for example, or wake up with a low amount of energy. A low ceiling can be dangerous for a very tall person, and a low voice can barely be heard. You can also talk about a gloomy mood as being low. And when cows moo, whether they're feeling low or not, you can cay that they low.
Vocabulary lists containing low
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The development of the spacecraft's landing legs was particularly difficult as gravity on Phobos is extremely low, according to Akinari Uehara, a Mitsubishi Electric engineer.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Although teapots could source feedstocks domestically from state-owned powerhouses such as Sinopec and China National Petroleum, margins were thin and production capacity was low.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
"The water remained low for quite some time, so everyone panicked and ran - I went around to the community health centre, and the people there had already been evacuated."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
“This is a category that has always helped the Fed achieve its objective of low inflation,” DuBravac said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
And just caring about Teddy and trying seems like a pretty low bar.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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Douglas Low said he had not thought that his brother had an enemy in the world.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Campbell said he had not had any contact with Low since 2017 and that he did not know he had left Edradynate Estate until he saw it on television.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Taiwan is developing its own Low Earth Orbit satellites, but the first launch isn’t scheduled until 2028, according to the Taiwan Space Agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The investigation’s inventory reads like a sneakerhead’s Christmas wish list: Nike Dunk Low Off-Whites.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
We was to assemble on the Shore of Boston Harbor & meet Others shortly before Low Tide & then together we cross to Hog Island & from there, to the farther Island, Noddle’s.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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Satellite images examined by BBC Verify show shrunken glaciers, scorched areas left by wildfires, green fields turned arid and lower river levels.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
No fog lights grace the front lower corners; the molded blanks in the lower grille look like waffle irons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Some 1,000 people from 18 different villages and settlements remain evacuated, though weather forecasts call for some welcome light rain and lower temperature.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
The findings could influence the development of therapies designed to raise or lower specific metabolites.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
There was space for our signatures, and the seal of Ida B’s Completely Just and Forever Binding Legal Services in the lower righthand corner.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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The waters of the Danube, Europe's second-longest river, have dropped to their lowest levels for 30 years in several countries.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The drought is particularly visible in the southern and eastern provinces, where the grass has turned the colour of straw and the Rhine this summer reached the lowest level ever recorded there.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
But as inequality has supercharged the gap between workers with the highest and lowest incomes, wages above the cap have grown much faster than those under the cap, Romig noted.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
U.S. meatpacking companies have been squeezed by a shortage of cattle with domestic supplies falling to their lowest level in 75 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
I go to the thick-limbed tree and grab the lowest branch.
From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
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“People see me on the court and they’re like,” he said, then lowed his voice to a whisper, “’Oh, my God!
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2022
The SCA later lowed its demand to $550m, but the owners and insurers reportedly offered to pay $150m.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2021
They fed us lentils cooked in onion and garlic and thin milk from the water buffalo that lowed outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2020
Charlie’s mother fol- lowed his voice to the kitchen, where she let him know that she and Charlie were home playing cards.
From MSNBC ● Oct. 22, 2014
The cows lowed it, the dogs whined it, the sheep bleated it, the horses whinnied it, the ducks quacked it.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
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The Dodgers wasted a splendid performance from starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who allowed four hits while striking out nine in six scoreless innings, lowing his earned-run average to 2.20.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2025
Alsop took a painterly approach to Mahler’s many details — birdsong and bells, dewdrop harps, the lowing moo of a tuba.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 20, 2023
You can hear a gentle lowing of cows.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2022
Behind us, the skyline of Atlanta hidden by the photographer’s backdrop — a lush pasture, green, full of soft-eyed cows lowing, a chant that sounds like no, no.
From New York Times ● Nov. 13, 2018
The cowlike lowing sounds came at intervals, and an impromptu waiting room sprang up in the parlor.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.